R-J looking for readers to serve on advisory panel

Have you ever thought of giving us a piece of your mind about how a story was covered — or wasn’t? Or maybe you’ve wondered why one story was played more prominently than another on the Review-Journal’s website or in our print edition?

Actually, I already know how some of you would answer such questions based on calls I receive daily.

If, however, you’ve thought about calling or writing but haven’t, here’s something to consider: Share your thoughts with Review-Journal editors and department managers on how the R-J can become a better news organization, both online and in print, by volunteering for our new Reader Advisory Board.

We are now assembling a list of online and print readers willing to serve a six-month stint on the board. A similar request was posted on our website last week, and it has already piqued the interest of many readers. Invitations will go out in a week or so for our first meeting, likely in August.

Board members will gather for about 90 minutes once a month at our Bonanza Road office or at some other central location. We’ll ask panelists their opinions on our breaking-news coverage, how we define and cover the various reporting “beats” and the types of issues that call out for in-depth reports.

Most discussion will be about website content and news and feature coverage, but we also will explore issues involving advertising, customer service, print quality and other things panelists want to bring up. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to tell R-J decision-makers what you think.

We expect to ask 12 to 15 people to serve, and a new board will be assembled every six months. We want a diverse cross-section of readers from different areas of the valley. Public officials need not apply. They already have considerable access.

We hope for constructive criticism, though we’ll be grateful for any feedback. The Review-Journal already is privileged to serve the largest number of readers in Southern Nevada, but we know there is much we can do to become better.

If you’re interested, email me at mhengel@reviewjournal.com. Please include your mailing address and phone number. I look forward to hearing from you.

Changes on the way

You’ll notice a new look for the Review-Journal’s print edition starting Tuesday.

The most obvious change will be the size of the type and the spacing between lines. Both will increase slightly, which we hope will make stories easier to read.

There also will be subtle changes in headline type, as well as some elements in the overall design of the newspaper.

The makeover grows out of a company-wide effort to centralize page design and editing of wire-service stories for all GateHouse Media papers. The company, which bought the Review-Journal in March, chose this approach after extensive research on different fonts, type styles and design elements to determine readability and impact, based on reader feedback.

Please give us your thoughts on the new look.

Mike Hengel (mhengel@reviewjournal. com) is editor of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Follow him on Twitter: @mhengel.